INQUEST.

Evening Star, Issue 8578, 27 July 1891, Page 3

INQUEST.

An inquest waß held at the hospital this afternoon before Mr Coroner Carew and a iuryofsix (Mr George Drew, foreman) on the body of David Scott, who died in the institution yesterday from injuries received on Saturday on the railway line, near the ° V jI 8 8ie Scott deposed that the deceased was her husband. He was born in County Darry (Ireland), and had been about twenty-six years in the colony. He waß about forty-five or forty-six years of age. Witness saw him yesterday in the hospital, when he asked her if Mr Grant had spoken to her. He said nothing as to how the accident happened. . James Knox, contractor for cleaning the trucks at the Dunedin railway station, said ho knew the deceased by sight. _ Witness saw him at the cattle trucks station, south of the overbridge, about twenty minutes past one on Saturday. An engine brought down a single oattlo truck for cleaning, the truck being in front of the engine; and when the two were disconnected the truck went along by itself. Deceased wished to prevent the truck from going ahead at a fast rate, and ran alon" the east side of the rails, headed the truck, and attempted to cross over to the west side to put down the brake. The truck was then going at the rate of a mile and a-half an hour. As deceased was crossing the line his boot caught onoMofto rails, and he fell beavily-with sufficient force to stupify him-just as the truck came along-in fact, it was only three feet behind him. Deceased made no attempt to get np, and the truck passed over his two fees and right arm. and stopped about ten yards further on. Witness was the nearest person to deceased when the acoident happened. Moffitt, deceased's mate, came up, and with witness was going to help deceased, but deceased asked them not to touch him. As far aa witness could judge, there was no necessity to use the brake. It waß not the usual practice to croßs in front of a trnck when it was running. Daniel Moffitt, railway snnnter, eaid that about half-past one on Saturday afternoon he was working in the goods yard in oharge of the shunting operations. A cattle waggon was shunted into its proper place, and just as it passed a certain point witness saw it oscillate, the cause of which he did not at first understand ; but when it had gone on a short distance he saw deceased lying on the ground. Witness went np to deceased and asked him if he was much hurt. Deceased replied that he was, and that he thoueht his legs and armß were broken. In reply to witness, he said thatm crossing the rails the ball of his foot caught on a rail and tripped him. He told witness not to touch him. Witness telephoned for a doctor and the ambulance corps, and rtneeased was afterwards removed by the latter. Witness did not think the truck was going too fast. There was no necessity for deceased to have tried to put down the brake: it was a mistake for him to attempt it. If it had been necessary to crosi the line deceased should have done so at the rear of the truck. [Left sitting.]